In white at the end of the table, raising his hand.
Bible in art · Matthew
The Meal in the House of Matthew (Le repas chez Mathieu)
James Tissot · 1886–1894
Brooklyn Museum, New York
Under a great fig tree outside Matthew’s house, a meal is going on: at the back, on a raised terrace, Jesus sits in white at a long table with many guests, talking with his hands.
In the street below, men in turbans and fine robes stand and sit on the stone benches, talking among themselves and pointing towards the table. Tissot set the scene by a row of shops with goods spread out under an awning.
From the text
- “Jesus was dining at Matthew’s house” with many tax collectors and sinners (Matthew 9:10)
- “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” (Matthew 9:11)
The artist’s own
- The meal held on a terrace under a fig tree
- A street of shops behind
Details
Jesus
The guests
Men in turbans sit along the table on the terrace.
Pointing
A man in a striped robe gestures towards the meal.
On the bench
Three men sit and talk on a stone bench.
James Tissot, French, 1836–1902. Brooklyn Museum, New York (Purchased by public subscription, 00.159.94) · Opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper · Brooklyn Museum (Commons file page, «Permission»): "This image was uploaded by the Brooklyn Museum as a content partnership, and is considered to have no known copyright restrictions by the institutions of the Brooklyn Museum." — "No known copyright restrictions".